By Mike London

mike.london@salisburypost.com

GRANITE QUARRY — Charles Cobb Hightower, named in honor of Pete “Charley Hustle” Rose and Ty Cobb, was as surprised as anyone, but there it was.

Baseball America is a respected publication. As far as who the rising stars are and aren’t, BA is the go-to source.

The magazine’s projected starting lineup for the 2028 San Diego Padres includes 2024 East Rowan graduate Hightower manning left field.

Hightower? Left field?

“Yeah, I did see that,” Hightower said. “It surprised me a little bit, but it’s cool. I’ve never played an inning in the outfield, but I really don’t care where I play, as long as I’m in the lineup.”

Hightower was a third-round pick out of high school last July after a record-breaking career as East Rowan’s shortstop that included two Mark Norris Memorial Awards as Rowan County Player of the Year, a 2024 team state championship and individual North Carolina Player of the Year recognition by Prep Baseball Report. He turned down a UNC scholarship, but it wasn’t a hard decision. He was ready to play ball full-time. The Padres signed him for $852,000.

“No crazy purchases,” Hightower said with a laugh. “I’ve pretty much invested all of it.”

When the Padres made Hightower the 88th pick of the draft, a lot of analysts scratched their heads and frowned. Some said it was a reach. After all, he was the first player drafted who wasn’t on Baseball America’s list of the top 500 prospects. But now it looks like the Padres had a better feel for what Hightower can do than anyone else did.

Hightower did extremely well after signing and reporting to Arizona to play in a league against other draftees and international signees.

“I did well at shortstop, hit .300, hit a couple of bombs and some doubles, stole 10 bases,” Hightower reported matter-of-factly. “The velocity I saw wasn’t a problem. The biggest adjustment for me as a hitter was seeing much sharper off-speed pitches. But the coaches seemed to like me. They told me to keep working, just to keep doing what I’m doing. They didn’t try to change much.”

A lot of pro teams believed Hightower had the bat speed and strike-zone discipline to become a solid hitter, but he has proven to be a special athlete, better than people realized. He has run 60-yard dashes (baseball players are timed in the 60) in 6.6 seconds, which means he has the speed to be a big-league center fielder.

“I ran some 6.7s and 6.8s in high school, so it’s not that big a difference,” Hightower said. “But it’s good to know that the wheels are still there.”

Hightower was an older senior when he was drafted, one of the older high school players who was picked. He’ll turn 20 in March, so the Padres may challenge him at several levels this year.

The Padres are an organization that will move players up quickly if they show they can handle it. Jackson Merrill, San Diego’s first pick in the 2021 draft, started for San Diego in center field last season as a 21-year-old and made the All-Star Game.

If Baseball America is right, Hightower will be playing next to Merrill in a few years.

“The Padres signed a shortstop (Leodalis DeVries from the Dominican Republic), who they’re hoping will be their shortstop for a long time,” Hightower said. “I’ve met him, I’ve seen him play, and I can tell you he’s legit. And they’ll have Xander Bogaerts at second base for quite a few years. So maybe left field will be where I get a chance. If you hit, they’ll find a place for your bat.”

Hightower is headed back to Arizona on Sunday for a strength and conditioning camp. Spring Training will come in February.

Maybe that’s when the Padres will tell him it’s time to learn how to play left field.